Bollards In The News: What Are Human Bollard Campaigns?

Bollard news frequently concerns unique bollard installations around the country and world, or the latest in crash test ratings. Yet one recent bollard news story brought awareness to cyclist safety in an entirely unique way. Avid cyclists have turned themselves into “human bollards” to increase awareness of driver-cyclist safety.

The Problem Of Sharing Infrastructures

Sharing roads and bridges with cyclists and other non-car and truck drivers such as motorcyclists have proved a problem over and over again. There has been a particular problem in areas where designated bike lanes are featured but “cyclist culture” was not prevalent. Bike lanes have been used as unloading zones, parking spaces, vehicle stands, and turning lanes, making them unsafe for those on two wheels.

A New Way To Raise Awareness

While cyclists have worked tirelessly for decades in an attempt to raise awareness of bike rider safety, they recently unveiled a new approach garnering plenty of attention. Human bollard campaigns involve participants standing along the painted edge of bike lanes to clearly mark the separations between vehicle and bike traffic. This is especially important in today’s world where online shopping is an everyday occurrence. Delivery trucks dropping shipments off have increased bike riding dangers since drivers often use bike lanes as temporary parking spaces.

Protected Lanes = Saved Lives

In May of 2017, cyclists Maureen Perisco and Matt Brezina along with many others launched a human bollard campaign in San Francisco sporting shirts that read “Protected Lanes Save Lives.” Perisco and Brezina had discussed the problems and frustrations of unprotected bike lanes and formed People Protected, an organization inspired by Hands Across America that focuses exclusively on increasing bike lane safety. So far, the organization has created campaigns in Boston, Boise, Portland, OR, New York, and Waterloo.

The Future Of Bike Riding

The move to more bike-friendly roads in cities is necessary not just for the planet, but for human health since vehicle emissions significantly reduce air quality in urban areas. Some 15 to 40% of transportation takes place on a bicycle in European cities such as Copenhagen, Denmark compared to 1 to 2% of transportation in American cities. Those participating in human bollards campaign want to raise that percentage to match if not exceed European city numbers to create more bike-friendly urban spaces.